Pan Am 103 lead investigator will speak Nov. 11 as part of Syracuse Symposium

Richard A. Marquise led the investigation from its inception

Nov 8, 2010
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Article by: Kelly Rodoski

Richard Marquise

Richard A. Marquise, former special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the lead investigator on the Pan Am 103 investigation, will speak at Syracuse University on Thursday, Nov. 11, as part of the 2010 Syracuse Symposium.

Marquise will speak on “Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation” at 7:30 p.m. in room 001 of the Life Sciences Complex. The event, which is co-sponsored by SU’s Forensic and National Security Sciences (FNSS) program, is free and open to the public.

“Conflict: Peace and War” is the theme of the semester-long symposium, organized and presented by The SU Humanities Center for The College of Arts and Sciences and campus community.

Marquise will also participate in an invitation-only mini seminar, “International Terrorism: Threat in the U.S. and Proactive Measures,” on Friday, Nov. 12.

Marquise was involved with the Lockerbie/Pan Am 103 investigation from its inception and, after being named to lead the task force, headed the investigation through the return of the indictments in 1991 and the trial. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. He is the author of “Scotbom: Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation” (Algora Publishing, 2006).

He is an expert in the fields of counter-terrorism and crisis management. Marquise is currently a senior research associate with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) in Tallahassee, Fla. He holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and memberships in the International Association of Chiefs of Police Terrorism Committee and the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Launched in 2001, Syracuse Symposium has quickly become a fall tradition at SU, drawing thousands of people to free lectures, panel discussions, performances and exhibitions built on annual themes. Past symposia include “Migration,” “Justice” and last year’s theme, “Light.” Since 2009, The SU Humanities Center has organized and presented Syracuse Symposium for The College of Arts and Sciences and the University community.

Founded in 2008, The SU Humanities Center fosters public engagement in the humanities, as well as scholarship in and across various fields of humanistic inquiry. The center is home to Syracuse Symposium; The Mellon Central New York Humanities Corridor, an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation initiative; The Jeanette K. Watson Visiting Collaborator; and other major research initiatives, fellowships and public programming.

For more information on the lecture, call The SU Humanities Center at 443-7192.